Since ancient times, Chinese and other Asian artisans have decorated furniture, teawares, dinner services, and architectural elements with lacquer, a hard, glossy material derived from plant resins and often embellished with precious metals. 

In this exhibition, you can

  • Explore the materials and processes of Asian and Chinese export lacquer
  • Observe the harmful effects of age on this fragile material
  • Learn about the groundbreaking study and work in Winterthur Museum’s conservation laboratory to restore Chinese export lacquer in the museum collection